COVID-19 Updates
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AMA condemns ‘appalling’ approach of governments to ill-fitting masks for Covid healthcare workers
The president of the Australian Medical Association has slammed governments’ “head-in-the-sand attitude” towards ill-fitting face masks, which are disproportionately endangering female and racially diverse healthcare workers. Dr Omar Khorshid says…
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Germany to extend coronavirus furlough to 24 months
Germany is expected to extend its pandemic furlough scheme to 24 months after Angela Merkel indicated that she welcomed the proposal to let the Kurzarbeit programme run on. The chancellor’s…
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Turnaround on Wall Street as S&P index hits new high
Wall Street’s rapid recovery from its Covid-19 slump has entered a new phase after a leading yardstick of American shares briefly hit a record high. In early trading in New…
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Hong Kong subsidies must end up in hands of those who need them most
With daily Covid-19 infections still rising and the economy diving to one of its worst levels in decades, the government has rightly rolled out more relief measures for the public.…
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Coronavirus: Malaysia up in arms over Indonesian medical ‘tourists’
Malaysia’s medical tourism council has moved to ease public fears following an uproar triggered by the arrival of three Indonesian patients in Penang state.The arrival of the Indonesians last Friday…
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Coronavirus has accelerated growing awareness of need for fairer capitalism, as businesses step up to help
Covid-19 has been a disaster for most businesses in Asia, as everywhere. But the epidemic has given some Asian companies a new-found sense of purpose. Interviews with Asia Business Council…
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Wearing masks can cut severity of Covid-19 symptoms, reduce chance of serious disease or death, doctor says
As health experts urge the public to wear masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus, they continue to get resistance. Among sceptics’ arguments: if masks cannot fully protect me…
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Coronavirus: Australia will manufacture vaccine and give it free to citizens, PM says
Australia has secured access to a “promising” potential coronavirus vaccine, the prime minister announced on Tuesday, saying the country would manufacture it and offer free doses to the entire population.Prime…
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Coronavirus: South Korea bans all religious meetings in ‘last ditch’ bid to quash new outbreak
South Korea on Tuesday shut down all religious gatherings in Seoul after the latest cluster linked to a church stirred memories of the country’s initial outbreak earlier this year. Nightclubs,…
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Singapore’s DBS: Covid-19 fallout could widen income gap, threaten workers aged 35-44
More than 300,000 workers in Singapore have seen their salaries shrink by over 10 per cent because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with lower income groups hit the hardest and workers…